Do for one what you would do for all

So much tragedy in the news this week.  A lot of it centers around 3 very different, yet incredibly sad stories from Orlando.  Each one of the stories ends in death.  One ended in multiple deaths.

Change needs to happen.  I'm sure we agree with that.

 The problem with real change is that it takes a long time to come about and most of us just don't want to actually do anything helpful.  We want to get mad.  We want to use it as a platform for our own agenda or (just as bad) cash in on it either in cash, cause, or popularity.  We want to complain and blame.  I know that that is the temptation for me.  Complaining comes very naturally to me.  Helping does not.  Forgiving does not.

Soon the news will find another story.  The politicians will find something else to talk about.  The world will have the Olympics and countless other stories.  If you follow the news in other countries and other continents you have already seen that there are terrible tragedies happening, literally, all over the world on every single day.  There are tragedies happening within your family and friends.  That doesn't make the worlds problems smaller or your problems smaller.  All tragedy is tragedy.

And we will grow wearier.  We will grow more jaded.  Some of the prejudices we have will be reinforced and some will be broken.  We will look for the problem and then try to fix it soon.  If it doesn't fix soon, we will forget.  Sadly, we may give up.

I would suggest that we can do a few things that might take longer.

1) Treat everyone with love.  Absolutely everyone.  Treat everyone how you would want to be treated.  Do this for as many days as you are blessed with.  Did you have the incredible opportunity to wake up today?  Live this day by loving all of those beautiful people around you.  Do that in your home.  Do that in the office.  Do that on the worksite.  Do that in the grocery store.  Do that in your car.  Do that wherever you find yourself.

2) Do for one what you wish you could do for all.  Long before we adopted one of our children, my heart was completely broken for the millions of orphans in the continent of Africa (it still is).  I had no clue how to help.  I'm sure if Facebook were around back then I would have posted some news stories.  It was overwhelming to think of the need and then complain to God that He isn't doing anything about it.  That was when He began the long process of showing me that 1) I'm not alone in feeling this way or seeing this need 2) He's already at work 3) Evil exists and evil plays by it's own rules 4) He has overcome it and is the only source of hope in hopeless situations and 5) He has a small part for me to play.  We gave a family to one (former) orphan.  Now I get to help (in my small way) by helping other families get involved in local foster care and adoption.

3) Stop complaining.  Don't stop grieving.  Grieving and complaining are very different things.  Never, ever stop grieving for the tragedy that befalls our fellow humans.  Please stop complaining.  Complaining does not help.  It probably makes you feel like you are helping.  Whatever you feel like complaining about - figure out a way to work with someone who is already working to make that better.  Find a way to help.  No, you alone can't stop it from happening.  But you can be an agent of change in small way that will be a big way to someone.  Let me try a baseball analogy - maybe (and I stress maybe) stop swinging for the fences and start hitting some singles.  Put the ball in play and get on base.

Please hear this from a guy who has the occasional delusion of grandeur - There's a good chance that you are not the person who will bring about the lasting change that this world so desperately needs and make the cover of a magazine.  You will not be able to quiet the shouting, stop the shooting, or fix what is broken.  You won't be able to adopt millions of orphans.  

BUT

That can not stop you from waking up every morning and making the decision to treat that one person in front of you at that moment with all the love, forgiveness, and mercy that you want to be treated with.

Do for one what you would do for all.

Stop complaining.  Take all that "complaining energy" and focus it into running the marathon of a loving and helpful life.

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